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Review: Arc’teryx Ceres Jacket

Our warmest and windproof belay jacket pick

By Julie Ellison
, Mar 2, 2016

Performance

Serious ice climbers and subzero-temp soldiers take note: You won’t find a better jacket on the market. The Ceres uses 850-fill down in places that need the most insulation (torso and sleeves) and proprietary Coreloft synthetic insulation in places that need a little less warmth and are prone to moisture (cuffs, collar, shoulder, hem, front of mouth, and armpits). Box-wall baffling, which means each baffle is its own chamber of down instead of sewn-through seams, kept testers warmer by preventing precious heat from escaping. Testers loved the Gore Windstopper fabric in the outer that provided extra durability and made the jacket “100% windproof,” according to one tester who faced 30 mph winds while ice climbing in Quebec, Canada. A waist cinch cord captures heat in the torso; a cinch cord on the elongated hem keeps the bottom of the jacket from lifting up; and a third cinch cord snugs the beefy hood around your face—all three create a fortress of warmth from your derriere to your head. Price is high, but you get what you pay for with a jacket that’ll last for years.

Conclusion

If you have the scratch, you’ll be getting one of the warmest and best-performing puffies on the market that includes smart, climber-friendly features and a level of windproofing that few other insulating jackets have.